Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
"Teacher Of The Year" Disgusted By Gay Marriage In NY
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 18, 2011
Modified Aug 18, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
via Facebook
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 18, 2011
Modified Aug 18, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
You'd think that teachers would have figured out by now that posting on Facebook can only lead to trouble—or sexual harassment. But Florida social studies teacher Jerry Buell hasn't figured that out yet. Buell, a former "Teacher of the Year" award winner, is in trouble after he wrote on his Facebook page, "I'm watching the news, eating dinner, when the story about New York okaying same sex unions came on and I almost threw up."
Buell later posted, "If they want to call it a union, go ahead. But don't insult a man and woman's marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool as same-sex whatever! God will not be mocked. When did this sin become acceptable???" In response to complaints from Facebook friends about his anti-gay comments, Buell wrote, "If one doesn't like the most recently posted opinion, based on Biblical principals [sic] and God's law, then go ahead and un-friend me. I'll miss you like I miss my kidney stone from 1994."
Buell, a social studies teacher at Mount Dora High School in Mount Dora, Fla., has been suspended from the school under their new social media policy. "Social media is a minefield. People think they're free to say what they want to, but in some aspects it can come back to haunt you," said Chris Patton, communications officer for Lake County schools, who helped develop the guidelines.
The teacher tried to explain his remarks to the Orlando Sentinel, and argued that he had posted on his own time on his personal computer: "It wasn't out of hatred. It was about the way I interpret things."
Tagged
florida
gay marriage
teacher
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Police are looking for pickpockets who keep targeting this LES bar
At least two people are connected to four separate incidents at the Two Doors Down bar on the Lower East Side.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 15, 2026 at 2:57 p.m. ET
Citi Bike finishes expansion into 7 areas, including parts of North Bronx, Eastern Brooklyn
The bike-sharing service added 230 new docks over the last year.
By
Stephen Nessen
News
Citi Bike finishes expansion into 7 areas, including parts of North Bronx, Eastern Brooklyn
The bike-sharing service added 230 new docks over the last year.
By
Stephen Nessen
Why Mamdani’s name was mostly missing from debate for New York governor
By
Jimmy Vielkind
Manhattan DA charges woman with stealing $25K in immigration fraud scheme
By
Arya Sundaram
NYC lawmaker wants dedicated NYPD units to combat chaotic car meetups
By
Charles Lane
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .